---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Take the gesture, the action of writing…"
description: "\"Take the gesture, the action of writing. I have an almost obsessive relation to writing instruments. I often switch from one pen to another just for th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/roland-barthes-1062_action_take-the-gesture-the-action-of-writing-i_642483.jpg"
---

#  Take the gesture, the action of writing. I have an almost…

![“Take the gesture, the action of writing. I have an almost obsessive relation to writing instruments. I often switch from one pen to another just for the pleasure of it. I try out new ones. I have far too many pens - I don't know what to do with all of them! And yet, as soon as I see a new one, I…” quote by Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/roland-barthes-1062_action_take-the-gesture-the-action-of-writing-i_642483.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/roland-barthes-1062_action_take-the-gesture-the-action-of-writing-i_642483.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/roland-barthes-1062_action_take-the-gesture-the-action-of-writing-i_642483.jpg)

> “Take the gesture, the action of writing. I have an almost obsessive relation to writing instruments. I often switch from one pen to another just for the pleasure of it. I try out new ones. I have far too many pens - I don't know what to do with all of them! And yet, as soon as I see a new one, I start craving it. I cannot keep myself from buying them.”

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The act of acquiring new writing tools becomes a compulsive desire, reflecting deeper cravings for novelty and control.

**In simple terms:** Collecting pens fuels obsession.

Key Takeaway

Limit acquisition, focus on purpose.

Themes

obsession materialism creativity

Mood

introspective analytical

Type

observational psychological

When to use this quote

- office supply budgeting
- creative rituals
- personal collections

Key Concepts

consumerism psychology habit formation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does the new pen affect your writing?
- Can you channel this urge into better work?

A Different Perspective

May distract from actual writing productivity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) [Gesture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gesture/) [Gestures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gestures/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm always writing. I'm an obsessive. It's not because I'm a disciplined person. It's because I'm crazy about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-m-always-writing-i-m-an-obsessive-it-s-not-because-i-m-a/)

[Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/)

> [Writing became an obsessive compulsive habit but I had almost no money so I thought about being an urban firefighter and having lots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/writing-became-an-obsessive-compulsive-habit-but-i-had-almost-no/)

[David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/)

> [Take out another notebook, pick up another pen, and just write, just write, just write. In the middle of the world, make one positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/take-out-another-notebook-pick-up-another-pen-and-just-write-just/)

[Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/)

> [“A pen is not just a writing instrument, it's an object of creation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayanda-xaba/a-pen-is-not-just-a-writing-instrument-it-s-an-object-of-creation/)

Ayanda Xaba

> [I grab my tablet and get busy with the pen. Y'all could not be just like me if y'all was my twin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-3000/i-grab-my-tablet-and-get-busy-with-the-pen-y-all-could-not-be-just/)

Andre 3000

> [ When I'm writing \[songs\], some days the pen just goes. I'm not in charge and I'm almost listening outside of it. That's when I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince/when-i-m-writing-songs-some-days-the-pen-just-goes-i-m-not-in-charge/)

[Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince/)

> [What happens to us all, I think, when we pick up a pen, is that we just become snobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-hansard/what-happens-to-us-all-i-think-when-we-pick-up-a-pen-is-that-we-just/)

[Glen Hansard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-hansard/)

> [“What's up?" Need a kidney? Two of them? Where do I sign? I grab my pen again, just in case.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ockler/what-s-up-need-a-kidney-two-of-them-where-do-i-sign-i-grab-my-pen/)

[Sarah Ockler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ockler/)

> [“I never said I was good,” he told her, taking the pen. “Just that I liked doing it.” “That’s the best kind of good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/i-never-said-i-was-good-he-told-her-taking-the-pen-just-that-i-liked/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“Charlus takes the narrator's chin and slides his magnetized fingers up to the ears "like a barber's fingers." This trivial gesture, which I begin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/charlus-takes-the-narrator-s-chin-and-slides-his-magnetized-fingers/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [“You see the first thing we love is a scene. For love at first sight requires the very sign of its suddenness; and of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/you-see-the-first-thing-we-love-is-a-scene-for-love-at-first-sight/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [“Absence is the figure of privation; simultaneously, I desire and I need. Desire is squashed against need: that is the obsessive phenomenon of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/absence-is-the-figure-of-privation-simultaneously-i-desire-and-i-need/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [“The desire to describe voice, gesture, skin color, is a desire to eat, take over, make into part of the pattern. I am happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-lockwood/the-desire-to-describe-voice-gesture-skin-color-is-a-desire-to-eat/)

[Patricia Lockwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-lockwood/)

> [Never raise your hand menacingly, but only in a friendly gesture!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-von-la-roche/never-raise-your-hand-menacingly-but-only-in-a-friendly-gesture/)

Sophie von La Roche

> [“The first language humans had was gestures. There was nothing primitive about this language that flowed from people’s hands, nothing we say now that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/the-first-language-humans-had-was-gestures-there-was-nothing/)

[Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/)

## More by Roland Barthes

> [“Werther identifies himself with the madman, with the footman. As a reader, I can identify myself with Werther. Historically, thousands of subjects have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/werther-identifies-himself-with-the-madman-with-the-footman-as-a/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [The Text is not a definitive object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-text-is-not-a-definitive-object/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [“Valéry used to speak of those people who die in an accident because they are unwilling to let go of their umbrellas; how many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/val-ry-used-to-speak-of-those-people-who-die-in-an-accident-because/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [Today there is no symbolic compensation for old age, no recognition of a specific value: wisdom, perceptiveness, experience, vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/today-there-is-no-symbolic-compensation-for-old-age-no-recognition-of/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [The unary Photograph has every reason to be banal, 'unity' of composition being the first rule of vulgar (and notably, of academic) rhetoric: 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-unary-photograph-has-every-reason-to-be-banal-unity-of/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [“A creative writer is one for whom writing is a problem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/a-creative-writer-is-one-for-whom-writing-is-a-problem/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [“Man does not exist prior to language, either as a species or as an individual. We never encounter a state where man is separated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/man-does-not-exist-prior-to-language-either-as-a-species-or-as-an/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [“It is said that Time soothes mourning – No, Time makes nothing happen; it merely makes the emotivity of mourning pass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/it-is-said-that-time-soothes-mourning-no-time-makes-nothing-happen-it/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [“So long as I perceive the world as hostile, I remain linked to it: \*I am not crazy\*. But sometimes, once my bad temper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/so-long-as-i-perceive-the-world-as-hostile-i-remain-linked-to-it-i-am/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [I think that cars today are almost the exact equivalent of the great Gothic cathedrals: I mean the supreme creation of an era, conceived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/i-think-that-cars-today-are-almost-the-exact-equivalent-of-the-great/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [“(Sartre) (The world is full without me, as in Nausea; the world plays at living behind a glass partition; the world is in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/sartre-the-world-is-full-without-me-as-in-nausea-the-world-plays-at/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [“Like love, mourning affects the world—and the worldly—with unreality, with importunity. I resist the world, I suffer from what it demands of me, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/like-love-mourning-affects-the-world-and-the-worldly-with-unreality/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [Painting can feign reality without having seen it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/painting-can-feign-reality-without-having-seen-it/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [“There is an age at which we teach what we know. Then comes another age at which we teach what we do not know;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/there-is-an-age-at-which-we-teach-what-we-know-then-comes-another-age/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [As a jealous man, I suffer four times over: because I am jealous, because I blame myself for being so, because I fear that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/as-a-jealous-man-i-suffer-four-times-over-because-i-am-jealous/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

[Explore all 282 Roland Barthes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

## More Action quotes

> [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/)

[William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/)

> [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/)

[Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/)

> [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/)

[Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/)

> [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/)

[Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/)

[Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/)

> [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/)

[Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/)

> [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

[Browse all 14,940 Action quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Take the gesture, the action of writing. I have an almost obsessive relation to writing instruments. I often switch from one pen to another just for the pleasure of it. I try out new ones. I have far too many pens - I don't know what to do with all of them! And yet, as soon as I see a new one, I start craving it. I cannot keep myself from buying them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Roland Barthes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/take-the-gesture-the-action-of-writing-i-have-an-almost-obsessive/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Action"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/take-the-gesture-the-action-of-writing-i-have-an-almost-obsessive/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/roland-barthes-1062_action_take-the-gesture-the-action-of-writing-i_642483.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/roland-barthes-1062_action_take-the-gesture-the-action-of-writing-i_642483.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/roland-barthes-1062_action_take-the-gesture-the-action-of-writing-i_642483.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Take the gesture, the action of writing. I have an almost obsessive relation to writing instruments. I often…” — Roland Barthes",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Roland Barthes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Take the gesture, the action of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/take-the-gesture-the-action-of-writing-i-have-an-almost-obsessive/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/take-the-gesture-the-action-of-writing-i-have-an-almost-obsessive/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
